The Wonder Switch: The Difference Between Limiting Your Life and Living Your Dream by Harris III

Author:Harris III
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollinsChristianPublishing
Published: 2020-08-22T00:00:00+00:00

Two Words That Change Everything

Two of the most powerful words of the English language are “What if?”

“What if” is the foundation for countless stories. What if a giant killer shark terrorized a small town? I have a feeling Peter Benchley asked that question when he wrote Jaws. What if an alien race came to visit earth? Practically every sci-fi story is based on that question. What if a brave young woman volunteered to fight in an event with life-or-death stakes? Suzanne Collins answers this question in The Hunger Games. What if a crazed fan trapped a famous writer? Stephen King addressed this question in his book Misery. What if toys had feelings? What if fish had feelings? What if robots had feelings? What if feelings had feelings? “What if” is the birthplace of almost every Pixar film.

When you ask “what if?” you start to think and dream. These two words are vision-casting words—they invite you to look with wonder toward the future. You might even find yourself creating something new. “What if?” engages your brain to consider the many possibilities and to pursue wonder. “What if?” cracks open the door of possibility and invites passion and purpose in.

However, we often misplace our “what if?” mindset. Instead of applying this question to the present or the future, we apply it to the past. And this question eats at us from the inside. Asking “what if?” about the past gradually transforms to “if only.”

If only I were more attractive, I would not be alone.

If only I were smarter, I would have more money.

If only I had worked harder, I would not have gotten fired.

“If only” will guide you to shame. Over time, as these shaming thoughts plague your mind, you will accept these lies as truth. A great way to avoid this pitfall is to turn your “what ifs” around and put them back where they belong: on your future, not your past. Unless the goal is to engage in a form of healing from previous trauma as in the research outlined earlier, practice using your imagination to look forward, not back.

The dark sides of our imaginations are powerful and can crush our wonder if we let them. If we give in to backward-looking “what ifs,” we end up living in the past, constantly replaying the stories we’ve lived, thinking of all the ways we could have said or done things differently.

“What if I wouldn’t have made that mistake?”

“What if I wouldn’t have said those words?”

But what’s done is done. While you can’t control the past, it can inform the present and be used to predict the future. If we’re stuck, it can often be useful to go backward in order to move forward. But you have the opportunity to reimagine your future. When we reawaken our wonder, we’re permitted to shift to forward-looking “what ifs” instead.

“What if I tried something new?”

“What if I wrote that book I’ve always wanted to write?”

“What if I started a business?”

“What if I asked her out?”

“What

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